Robot vacuums and docks
A robot that fits your home: height, thresholds and the dock that empties it.
Robot height in cm, threshold climb in mm, suction in Pa, dock bag size in litres and the type of mop, set side by side so you can tell which robot slides under your sofa, gets over your door strips and empties itself.
Our top picks
All buying guides- Best low-profile robot vacuums for under furniture
Roborock Saros 10R: 8 cm tall, climbs up to 4 cm
8 cm (3.14 in) · Up to 4 cm · 22,000 Pa
Check price on AmazonAffiliate link - Best robot mops for hardwood floors
Ecovacs T50 Max Pro Omni: 18 mm lift, 45°C drying
18,500 Pa · Dual mops, extend to edges (TruEdge 2.0)
Check price on AmazonAffiliate link - Best robot vacuum and mop combos
Dreame L40 Ultra Gen2: 25,000 Pa and an extending mop
25,000 Pa · DuoScrub rotating pads, extendable
Check price on AmazonAffiliate link - Best robot vacuums for pet hair
Roomba Combo 10 Max: rubber brushes, avoids pet bowls
Not stated · Pad, auto-retracts on top of robot
Check price on AmazonAffiliate link
Clearance check
Open the calculator →Under the furniture
Fits
Margin 1.3 cm (0.5 in)
Door threshold
Climbs, but borderline
Margin 2 mm (0.1 in)
Fits when the gap is at least 0.5 cm more than the robot; under 1 cm of margin is tight. Borderline when the threshold is within 2 mm of the climb limit. Maker heights include the lidar tower unless the listing says otherwise. Type decimals with a point, for example 9.7.
Topics
From slim robots for low sofas to all-in-one docks that wash and dry the mops.
- Self-emptyingRobots whose dock empties the bin into a bag, so you only deal with dust every few weeks.0 guides · 1 buying guide
- Vacuum & mopCombined vacuum and mop robots, from pad mops to rotating and roller mops with washing docks.5 guides · 3 buying guides
- Pet hair & carpetRobots for shedding pets and carpeted rooms, judged on brush design, suction and obstacle avoidance.1 guide · 3 buying guides
- Low-profileSlim robots for low sofas, beds and high door thresholds, measured in cm and mm.3 guides · 1 buying guide
- Small flatsCompact robots and docks that suit flats, studios and tight hallways without filling the floor.5 guides · 2 buying guides
- Brands & modelsRoborock, Dreame, Ecovacs, iRobot, Shark and Eufy ranges explained model by model.8 guides · 6 buying guides
- Bags & sparesDock bags, brushes, filters, batteries and fixes that keep a robot vacuum running.12 guides · 0 buying guides
Calculators
Clearances and floor areas worked out in cm, mm, m² and sq ft.
Robot problems and fixes
Robots that get stuck, miss rooms, stop emptying or leave streaks: likely causes and what to check first.
- Shows a numbered errorShark robot vacuum error codes explained by type: brush and wheel jams, cliff sensors, bumper, dustbin, battery and charging, with fixes in order.
- Will not start or stops with an errorWhy an iRobot Roomba will not run or keeps stopping, from brush jams and dirty sensors to error numbers, battery and Home Base faults, with fixes.
- Will not dock or returns earlyFixes for a robot vacuum that cannot find its dock, misses the contacts or keeps going back mid-clean, from dock clearance to sensors, battery and maps.
- Fails to join Wi-FiRobot vacuum won't join your Wi-Fi? Use a 2.4 GHz network, check phone permissions and router settings, then reset the robot's Wi-Fi. Works for most brands.
- Will not charge on the dockWhy a robot vacuum stops charging, from dirty contacts and dock position to the power switch and a worn battery, with checks in order from simplest.
- Loud or unusual noiseIs your robot vacuum's noise normal? Tell the short self-empty roar apart from grinding brushes, clicking wheels, a whining fan or rattles, and fix each one.
- Mop stays dryRobot mop leaving the floor dry? Check the water flow setting, tank seating, carpet mode and blocked outlet holes, then deal with limescale in hard water areas.
- Eufy error or stoppageFix a Eufy RoboVac that stops, beeps or shows an error: the main fault types, from wheels and brushes to the suction fan and charging, in simple order.
Comparisons
- Shark vs Roomba robot vacuumsShark vs Roomba compared on bagless and bagged self-empty bases, brush rolls for hair, mapping and the spares you keep buying, using four current UK listings.
- Robot mop vs a traditional mopRobot mop vs traditional mop: what a robot handles well, what still needs a hand mop, and the general water in litres and energy in kWh involved.
- Roborock vs Shark robot vacuumsRoborock vs Shark robot vacuums compared: mop-washing docks against bagless bases, suction figures, lidar mapping, obstacle sensing and the apps.
- Roborock vs iRobot RoombaRoborock vs iRobot Roomba compared on lidar and camera navigation, mops, docks and spares in the UK, using the Q7 BF, Qrevo 5AE, Roomba j7 and Combo 10 Max.
- Roborock vs Eufy robot vacuumsRoborock vs Eufy compared tier by tier: navigation, mop types, all-in-one docks, suction in Pa and robot heights in cm, with a clear verdict.
- Roborock vs Ecovacs DeebotRoborock vs Ecovacs Deebot compared on navigation, mop systems, dock jobs and app control, using the Saros 10R, Qrevo 5AE, T90 Pro Omni and T50 Max Pro Omni.
Buying guides
Focused guides to one type of robot vacuum each, compared on what the listings state.
- Best low-profile robot vacuums for under furniture
- Best robot mops for hardwood floors
- Best robot vacuum and mop combos
- Best robot vacuums for carpet
- Best robot vacuums for pet hair
- Best robot vacuums for small flats
- Best robot vacuums under £300
- Best robot vacuums under £500
- Best robot vacuums that avoid cables, socks and pet mess
- Best self-emptying robot vacuums
- Dreame robot vacuums compared: L, X and D series
- Ecovacs Deebot models compared: X, T and N ranges
- Eufy robot vacuums compared: Omni stations and roller mops
- iRobot Roomba models compared: Combo, j series and s9+
- Roborock robot vacuums compared: Qrevo, Saros and Q7
- Shark robot vacuums compared: PowerDetect, Matrix and Navigator
Guides & advice
- Robot vacuums with an arm: what do they do?Robot vacuums with an arm explained: extending side brushes and mops for corners, such as Roborock FlexiArm and Ecovacs TruEdge, plus pick-up arms.
- Robot vacuums and door thresholds: how high can they climb?How high robot vacuums can climb, in mm: typical limits, robots with lifting legs, how to measure UK door bars and sills, and when a ramp helps.
- When to replace robot vacuum brushes, filters and mopsA part by part replacement schedule for robot vacuum brushes, filters, mop pads and dock bags, with typical maker intervals and signs a part is worn.
- Robot vacuum height: will it fit under your sofa?How tall robot vacuums are, how to measure the gap under your sofa or bed in cm, why the lidar turret matters and why you want about 1 cm of margin.
- Robot vacuum dock bags: sizes, fit and how often to change themDock bag sizes in litres for Dreame, Eufy, Xiaomi, Tapo and Lefant robots, genuine versus compatible bags, and which bases are bagless.
- How to replace a robot vacuum batterySigns your robot vacuum battery is worn, how to match voltage and connector, how to swap it step by step, and how to recycle the old lithium-ion pack.